Any chance the Miami Dolphins had of advancing in the playoffs ended when quarterback Tua Tagovailoa suffered a concussion late in the first half of a week 16 game vs. Green Bay. Ironically, the injury probably hurt the Packers just as much.
Prior to banging his head on the turf, Tagovailoa torched the Green Bay defense for 20 points and 229 yards through the air. While he finished the contest, he was clearly affected. The Dolphins were shut out in the second half, and the former Alabama star threw three awful interceptions. The Packers came from behind to win their third straight game and kept their playoff hopes alive. What was very good news at the time doesn’t seem nearly as positive a few months later.
Had the Packers lost to Miami on Christmas Day and fallen to 6-9, their playoff hopes would’ve been all but dead, and Jordan Love probably would’ve started the final two games of the season against Minnesota and Detroit. That would’ve allowed general manager Brian Gutekunst and coach Matt LaFleur to assess the young quarterback for eight quarters, which would’ve been roughly the same number of quarters he had played in his career up until that point. And while those two games wouldn’t have provided all the answers regarding Love’s viability as a starter, they’d have been very helpful.
The Packers are currently deciding what to do at quarterback for next season. Do they stick with 39-year-old Aaron Rodgers or finally trade him and move on? The choice would be a lot easier if Gutekunst and LaFleur had more game tape of Love. The fact that the former No. 1 pick from Utah State has reportedly looked good in practice and threw a handful of impressive passes in the fourth quarter of a loss to Philly in Week 12 is hardly declarative one way or the other.
Along with getting an extended look at Love, a loss to the Dolphins might’ve meant the end of Joe Barry’s time in Green Bay. Coach Matt LaFleur defended retaining the embattled coordinator by pointing out how well the defense played late in the season, but he wouldn’t have been able to make that claim had Miami put up 40 points and 500 yards. They were headed for those numbers before Tagovailoa got concussed and started completing passes to players with Gs on their helmets.
LaFleur was obviously looking for any reason to keep Barry, even though several much more successful coordinators became available after the season (Vic Fangio, Ejiro Evero, Steve Wilks, and Vance Joseph – just to name a few). Maybe LaFleur still would’ve kept his good buddy even had the Dolphins put up 40 points and 500 yards, but it would’ve been a lot more difficult to justify. And to be honest, it was still hard to justify considering the defense ranked a pedestrian 17th in both points and yards despite employing seven former No. 1 picks and having a legit Pro Bowl player at every level.
Finishing 8-9 last season was disappointing, but what’s even more disappointing is the very real possibility of running it back in 2023 with essentially the same roster and coaching staff. What kept tens of thousands of fans going at 4-8 was the idea of finally getting an extended look at Love and not having to look at Barry for much longer. Both of these things were probable had Tagovailoa not gotten hurt. That’s why what counted as a win two months ago feels more like a loss today.
I was buying the late season hype for no other reason than I wanted to. All the signs were there that this was a flawed team.
Losing to the Lions with a playoff spot up for grabs should’ve said everything we needed to know about what Barry (and maybe LaFleur) are able to do going into 2023.
I had mixed emotions. On one hand I was hoping we would make the playoffs, you never know what could have happened. On the other hand I wanted to see what Love could do (that feels wrong saying that).
Now I was all for getting rid of Barry and think the defense will be lackluster as long as he is running it.
One thing I wonder is with all his concussion problems should Tua keep playing. Imagine a healthy all in Rodgers playing with those receivers.
Wow, interesting thought. Rodgers playing with WRs who get 5 yards of separation could be like the second coming of Dan Marino.
Then again, if Jordan Love starts the last game against Detroit maybe we win that game and make the playoffs. It’s hard to believe he plays any worse than Aaron Rodgers. And let’s not forget it was Joe Barry’s defense that shut down Minnesota’s impressive offensive the week before. I have no doubt Aaron Rodgers wants to return next season, but can he now keep Jordan Love on the bench? If he plays like last season, the answer is no. If he plays like two seasons ago, the answer is maybe. If he comes back and he can’t, he finishes career on the bench. This is the dilemma he finds himself in.
as a fan, i watch the games for the entertainment value. i enjoyed the end of what i had assumed was a lost season last year, thanks to the “miracle” turn-around in Miami.
the Packers claim that they know what they have in Love. the next few weeks of this off-season should provide us with a good idea of what that insider insight really is.
my opinion of MLF went down considerably with his assistant coaching choice(s) at the end of the season. at this point, i am joining the crowd of folks suggesting that LaFleur’s remarkable beginning of his pro coaching career can be largely attributed to having a Hall of Fame QB along with a reasonably savvy front office.
i expect the Packers to be mediocre in 2023.. and, yeah: i will be watching.. as long as i get some entertainment value along the way.